The present invention relates to agricultural earthworking implements such as rotary hoes and more particularly, relates to an improved means for preventing trash from accumulating on hoe wheels during operation.
For many years earthworking implements utilizing tools such as rotary hoes have been used to cultivate and break up the soil crust close to young plants. To cultivate the fields after plowing or after planting, gangs of rotary hoes mounted on common shafts are often utilized.
Today as more farmers utilize chisel plowing rather than moldboard plowing, grass, plant roots and similar trash materials remain on the ground surface. Subsequently when the ground is cultivated with rotary hoes, the surface trash not turned under during chisel plowing is picked up on the wheel tines or wrapped around the hoe shaft.
To reduce trash buildup on rotary hoes and wheels, it has been common practice to position frame-mounted stripper fingers adjacent the rotary tine path whereat the trash can be stripped from the rotating tine members. While some of the trash buildup on the tines can be ripped off as the tines pass the stripper fingers, much of the trash pierced by the tines must be removed by pulling it from the tine. Further, a common type of trash buildup on rotary hoe gangs includes wrapping of grass and other similar materials about the hoe shaft. Stripper fingers will not minimize this type of trash buildup.